Chapter 1: The Start of the Adventure

"I just received news; the Emperor is dead," announced Miroku.

"And your point?" asked Inuyasha. They had been journeying north towards Edo for days. The weather had been far from kind, and Inuyasha was tired and not in the mood for chit-chat or court gossip.

Miroku, on the other hand, was in a spirited mood. "Well, the Emperor died without an heir, or any children, for that matter," Miroku explained patiently to Inuyasha. "In his will, he stated that the most powerful daimyo lords would compete for the throne, with the Shogun Naraku as mediator."

"Yes, and I still don't see your point," said Inuyasha irritably.

This caused Miroku to shake his head. "Inuyasha. Everyone knows your brother is the most affluent Lord around, and the only reason why he hasn't overthrown Naraku as shogun is because he couldn't be bothered to. Surely now, with the seat of the Emperor open, he would step in? And, you would become a prince at the very least."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "How tempting. I assure you Sesshoumaru won't step up to claim the throne. Him, becoming the religious leader of Japan as the son of heaven, to sit in a castle in Heian-kyo, a helpless puppet?" He couldn't imagine Sesshoumaru doing that for one minute, and surely Miroku knew as much.

"I'll admit, it's not Sesshoumaru's general inclination," chuckled Miroku. "But you can be sure he'll cripple the shogun and take full control, if he were ever to become Emperor."

"Sesshoumaru hates Heian-Kyo. He'd never live there," declared Inuyasha. He couldn't blame his brother, the weather was horrible, the city was packed, and the court etiquette was sheer stifling.

"Please, Inuyasha, must you be so backward? Heian-kyo is now known as Kyoto." Miroku rolled his eyes and took out a compass. "Which... is where we will be heading."

"What!" yelled Inuyasha, ready to throttle the monk. "We're so close to Edo, and now you want to go all the way back south to Kyoto?"

Miroku ignored him, and started unrolling a map of Japan. "Listen, Sesshoumaru is probably already in Kyoto. If we go there, we can monitor his movements."

Inuyasha groaned as Miroku steered him a hundred and eighty degrees towards the south and started walking. "Miroku, has it never registered on you that Sesshoumaru hates me?"

Yes, Miroku had seen much of the brothers' conflict. But that was was not his only reason for wanting to go to Kyoto now. Miroku had another motive, though he hesitated over sharing it with his long-time buddy Inuyasha.

"I've... got a sister."

"Hah?" Inuyasha gaped at Miroku, stopping mid-step.

"Yes. I'm going to look for my sister in Kyoto," said Miroku with a deadly serious face.

Inuyasha shook his head, trying to recall just when and where Miroku had ever mentioned this sister. Because the monk sure as hell hadn't. "You never mentioned her," he growled.

"Oh, I didn't? My apologies. She's either in Edo or Kyoto, which is why I suggested we go to Edo first simply because it was closer to the village we were in."

They marched on in silence for awhile.

"Wait, did you say the current shogun is Naraku? Won't he try and take control too, instead of sitting back and choosing an emperor from the other daimyo?" Inuyasha asked.

"What exactly do you think I've been trying to tell you!" Rolling his eyes, Miroku marvelled at his friend's unawareness. "Currently, Naraku Takamoto is shogun, yes? The shogun is not allowed to be Emperor."

"But even if he wanted to challenge his claim to the throne...?"

"He couldn't and shouldn't bother," explained Miroku. "Naraku's a hanyou – he'll never stand a chance against Sesshoumaru. And I hear because he's into evil arts like sorcery Naraku would never be pure enough to assume the role of Emperor."

Inuyasha snorted. "And you're saying my brother, the Killing Perfection, is pure?" As far as Inuyasha was concerned his brother was a ruthless lord with all the arrogance afforded to him by privilege and class.

"Well, to an extent." Miroku tried to explain to Inuyasha. "Lord Sesshoumaru kills those that trespass on his lands, and those he doesn't like. Even samurai have that right, and as a lord he probably does it with a clear conscience."

Therein lay the difference, and even Inuyasha had to agree. Naraku's cruelty was legendary; he killed because he enjoyed hearing people scream. Whereas Sesshoumaru was the type to slaughter his opponent in a fair duel, Naraku had no qualms using poison or black magic if it suited him. In the years Sesshoumaru had ruled as Lord of the Western Lands the people always paid their taxes and spoke his name with reverence. But if Naraku ever, god forbid, ascended the throne, the people would be the first to suffer.

The calm notes of a shamisen playing were broken by a feminine shriek.

"You are impossible!" screamed Kikyo. She'd be assigned to look after this spoilt brat of an apprentice geisha who had no respect for authority whatsover. Even now, the girl's wide, innocent-looking brown eyes stared at Kikyo, false tears threatening to spill over onto perfectly heart-shaped cheeks. With a cry of frustration, Kikyo fled from the room, slamming the door behind her.

Kagome, said apprentice geisha, did not care. Casually she brushed her wet face with her kimono sleeves; tears were an excellent tool for driving Kikyo mad. No matter how much the geisha mothers and sisters railed at her, Kagome Higurashi hardly budged. No, she was not happy playing dress-up and flirting with disgusting old men. The geisha profession was below her station in life. Although her step-mother had sold her to one of Kyoto's prominent geisha houses, being born into the powerful Higurashi clan, Kagome had a sense of self, and was not easily intimidated by the likes of Kikyo.

Her only concern was her maid Sango, and her old nurse Kaede. They, too, had been sold off with Kagome, but unlike Kagome they were bullied mercilessly by the geisha and servants.

Having witnessed another confrontation between her old charge and the geisha Kikyo, Kaede frowned disapprovingly at Kagome. "Just listen to them once in awhile, Kagome. You wouldn't want them to get drastically furious about you, would you? They might throw you out," she said, concern written on her features.

"They won't," said Kagome airily. "I cost them too much money to buy." Considering that most of the other girls that the geisha houses bought were from fishing villages or farms, coming straight from a noble's househld Kagome had no need to undergo the years of training in the fine arts. Already trained in society's various refinements, Kagome had been sent straight to debut an apprentice geisha. Despite her attitude probems, her very impudence was refreshing and attractive to the customers they served, and her monthly revenue was beginning to exceed Kikyo's.

Kagome knew her geisha mother's kind - money-hungry and shallow. It would be a poor investment to throw Kagome Higurashi out onto the streets, especially when she earned so much for them. Kikyo was already in her thirties, and wouldn't last much longer as a popular geisha. Kagome, on the other hand, just turned sixteen, had the world ahead of her – and they haven't even sold her mizuage yet.

Not that she would let them sell it. Kagome found it a foul practice to stick her virginity up for bidding. Just like she had refused to let the hairdressers pour boiling wax on her hair to style it, just like she had refused to paint her face stark white, which was the reason for Kikyo's tantrum today. There would be a convention of many daimyo lords tonight, and all the top geisha had been summoned to entertain.

Then again, now that Kagome thouguht about it, it was better if she wore the makeup. It was inevitable that a few of the lords there would be of her acquaintance and it was best if none of them would recognize her as Kagome Higurashi.

"Anyways," said Kaede, "when I was marketing on the streets today, I heard that several men are planning to ask the teahouse mistress to let them be your danna, without the extra benefits they would get. If men are willing to pay high fees just to sit and talk with you without sleeping with you, you are more valuable than you think you are."

Kagome snorted. "Valuable? They've invested so much to buy me, yes. But I'm going to run away, I don't care how many losses they make."

"Kagome! If they find you, and they will, you'll get beaten till you wish you were dead," warned Kaede, fearing for the headstrong girl. She had no doubt Kagome would make good on her word, and Japan wasn't big enough for a single girl to run far.

"Not to worry, I've got my best friend Sango here, who happens to be a demon exterminator," said Kagome. "We'll both run. And you too, Kaede."

The geisha house mistress soon entered the room, followed by Kikyo, who looked smug.

"What's this I hear about you not wanting to get your hair done?" the mistress asked sternly, with a frown.

"It's a stupid custom," Kagome said bluntly.

The mistress sighed. She'd known this girl would be difficult, being a nobleman's daughter, but the mistress could play tough. 'So you won't conform to any of our traditions. Fine. I promise you I will sell your Sango-chan to some dirty brothel down the street."

Kagome paled slightly.

"What's more, you will perform a dance at the lords' convention tonight," the mistress said harshly. "If not, you can join Sango-chan in a whorehouse, and don't think I won't do it because I'll probably profit on the sale of the two of you."

Damn the bitch. Kagome's mind whirred. She'd have to conform on the makeup, and as for performing... well, it would be a perfect chance to escape this time in between costume changes. She could always bribe a younger geisha anxious to go on stage to take her place.

"Are you listening to me?" demanded the mistress sharply, snapping Kagome from her thoughts. "You certainly are ill-mannered! Well, where was I? Right... have you learned dance? You refuse to take lessons in any arts saying you know them, but to perform dances require years of experience."

Oh, right. She hadn't learned dance – it wasn't required of a lord's daughter. Dancing was reserved for the geisha and actors. Even though the art was revered, the people who performed it weren't always considered to be of good bloodlines.

"Yes, I've learned since I was young," lied Kagome politely. "May I inquire which dance I am to do?"

"Any dance you know," said the mistress imperiously as they left the room.

Kikyo turned angrily to the mistress. "She deserves a good beating, not such freedom in choices. That spoilt brat will never learn our ways! A good lesson would set her straight."

"You know I can't beat her, or mistreat her," the geisha mother said. "For one, her stepmother may have sold her, but she is still a lord's daughter. Who knows what powerful alliances and childhood friends she has, who are simply biding their time till they can rescue her."

"It's all because she's a noble-born lady," complained Kikyo. "I hear she was trained by her father to fight well. God knows, she'll be able to kill any one of us if we piss her off. Not to mention her maid Sango, who looks more like a ninja than a maid."

"Stop your whining, Kikyo," the mistress snapped. "I expect you to make progress with Kagome Higurashi, not come running to me everytime you run into probems." With that, she swept off, leaving the geisha Kikyo staring with hatred in her wake.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" asked Inuyasha dubiously. "It looks like a geisha district."

Miroku hurried his pace, worried he wouldn't be able to squeeze through the gate. "Oh, it's a geisha district all right – the best of the best. Kyoto's Gion is always renowned for its geisha."

"Well, if it's so exclusive, why are there so many people here?" shot back Inuyasha. They had finally reached Kyoto, but just how the hell they were supposed to find Miroku's sister when Miroku himself was more interested in seeing pretty geisha than searching for his long-lost sibling.

"According to the rumours, the apprentice geisha to be dancing here tonight is very beautiful and talented, not to mention strong-willed. She has refused to entertain for performances until now, and will only chat with certain men of her choosing. For some strange reason she has decided to dance tonight for the lords' convention, and -"

"Spare me your documentary," grumbled Inuyasha. A geisha was a just woman, and worse, who would want to chase a woman who was choosy about the men she talked to?

Miroku shoved their way to the front. Eight burly guards flanked the brightly painted gates, efficiently blocking the view of the street behind from sight. "Who are you?" they asked rudely. "Commoners are not allowed here."

"I'm the High Priest of Shintawa Shrine," lied Miroku. The shrine he'd studied in had kicked him out when he groped the mikos.

"High priest, eh?" That was something. "Very well, you may proceed. And what about your friend?" asked the guards with less arrogance.

"The brother of Lord Sesshoumaru," said Miroku quickly. "Do you not see the family resemblance?"

In truth, none of the guards had even been in the same compound as Sesshoumaru, let alone seen his face, yet they didn't want to appear stupid or low-ranked. "Of course, not that you mention it," they laughed. "How silly we are. Please, step inside."

Miroku inclined his head and tugged Inuyasha inside. Small, elegant lamps lit a path towards a large, imposing teahouse, where sedan-chairs and servants waited outside for their masters.

"That should be the one," guessed Miroku, and dragged Inuyasha along.

As they approached the gates, a sprawling garden came into view. It had been, no doubt, designed by a famous architect. As they walked up a beautifully paved walkway, their footsteps echoed. It was amazing, compared to the din outside, how quiet and peaceful it suddenly became. From the building before them, a shoji-screen door slid open. A maid was kneeling there, having heard their footsteps. She glanced at them contemptuously, taking in their travel-worn clothes.

"We're fully booked," she said bossily, and slammed the door shut as quietly as she could.

"Bitch," cursed Inuyasha.

"Oh, just come this way," said Miroku and led them both around the back, where he rapped on the door sharply.

The door slid open again. The same maid was there, waiting. "I said we're fully booked," she said, bored.

"My brother will kill you when he hears how impudent you've been," muttered Inuyasha angrily.

"Who's your brother?" asked the maid rudely. "I don't care unless your brother is the shogun."

"My brother Lord Sesshoumaru was right, the maids here are bitches," said Inuyasha a little too loudly, nudging Miroku.

"That's right," added Miroku, getting the hint. "No wonder he never comes to this teahouse. I should inform the mistress why." Actually, Miroku had no idea which geisha houses, if any, Lord Sesshoumaru frequented, but the maid was not to know this.

"My apologies," she cried, quickly bowing as low as she could. "I did not know you were the Honourable Brother of -"

"You've got a lot to learn," interrupted Miroku grimly before stepping inside. "May I know the way to the room where the rest of the party is held?"

"Of course," whispered the frightened girl and bowed again. She opened a door and showed Miroku and Inuyasha in, before bowing again and excusing herself.

It was a rather merry scene inside, with at least seven major lords that Miroku could see, many of whom brought at least two high-ranking samurai with them. Geisha flitted around, telling jokes and stories, pouring tea and sake. Inuyasha and Miroku had barely sat when the door slid open again. A small hush fell over the room, and two of the prettiest geisha the room had ever seen bowed at the entrance.

"We beg your indulgence for arriving late," said the older of the two geisha. "My younger sister was refusing to cooperate."

"Shut up and stop blocking the way," said a voice from behind. This was a contrast from the geisha's soft tones and gentle mannerisms, and the men were already straining to see who it was. It was an apprentice geisha, with baby-like makeup and swinging kimono sleeves. However, she somehow outshone the rest of the sophisticated geisha in the room.

The mistress was all smiles. "Come in, Kikyo-san. Would you like to introduce your younger sister to us all?"

Inuyasha strained to see the one they called Kikyo. She was strikingly beautiful, and wore a pleasant smile. However, it seemed somewhat strained and forced.

"It would be my pleasure," said Kikyo, though few in the room believed her. "Kagome, come here."

A girl no older than sixteen entered, eyelids drooping demurely with her cheeks gently flushed. Miroku wouldn't have believed that the sharp voice from before belonged to her, except that there was no one else in the corridor outside. The girl sank slowly to her knees, closing the door behind her in the way all geisha did when they entered a room.

As was the custom, Kikyo took Kagome around the room to bow to the different geisha, starting with the mistress and ending with the most inexperienced geisha. Having paid her respects, Kagome was taken to see the host of the party, the shogun.

"I've heard many things about you," said the shogun in his oily, smooth voice.

Kagome cracked a small, polite smile. "And what would those things be?" She didn't like this man – he gave her the creeps. He had red eyes, for god's sake.

"That you appear shy and unassuming, when you are actually quite headstrong," said Naraku.

"You must be mistaken," said Kagome, feigning shyness.

"Am I?" he asked. Without warning, his arm shot out and grabbed her by the chin, and lifted her face to meet his eyes. Angrily, Kagome glared straight into his eyes, shaking in fury.

"Get your filthy hands off me!" she hissed in anger. There was none of the apprentice geisha's meekness in her, just the fiery spirit of a lord's daughter.

"My apologies... your beauty overwhelmed me," said Naraku, withdrawing his hand, silk sleeves trailing over the floor. He waved a hand to show she was dismissed.

"I am sincerely sorry, Naraku-dono," said Kikyo bowing hastily before hurrying Kagome to the next lord. What was Kagome thinking, offending the shogun! She would have to slap the girl later.

"This is Lord Sesshoumaru," Kikyo told Kagome, who gave the standard bow but slipped a glance at him. Kikyo needn't have bothered, Kagome knew who Lord Sesshoumaru was from seeing him in meetings with her father as a child. Of course, she doubted he knew who she was.

He looked incredibly bored, long fingers tracing his untouched sake cup in lazy circles. Kagome felt a strange respect for this man. While other lords were starched in their best, drinking and making fools of themselves, Lord Sesshoumaru seemed to be so sober it was almost funny.

Etiquette meant that he was expected to acknowledge her at least, but Lord Sesshoumaru barely glanced at the two geisha.

"Hn."

"Do I displease you in some way?" asked Kagome, frowning. Kikyo pinched her arm – she had no business addressing the guests unless they talked to her first.

"Yes. You, sitting here, calling yourself an apprentice geisha... I knew your father, and we shared a mutual respect. What would he think, seeing you here like that?" asked Sesshoumaru, coldy. His voice remained low so only Kagome Higurashi - he recognized her for her scent - could hear. Sesshoumaru waited for her to burst into tears, or flounce off, whatever it was that women did when he snubbed them.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know being sold and forced to do something against my will was my fault. My apologies for disrupting your evening – though I doubt you were having fun anyways," Kagome said truthfully, not really put off by his comments. At least, one of the lords didn't seem to think she was a fantastic geisha. She would rather die than be thought of that way.

"What makes you say I wasn't enjoying myself?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"Look at this group of men. They are educated, and know fighting and can appreciate beauty. But what they know and comprehend is only a small part of what really exists. Instead of looking after their lands, their estates, or concentrating on who will be the next emperor, they sit around drinking with geisha. You are not like that."

Kikyo was straining to listen to the exchange, and they broke off.

"Forgive me for interrupting," said Miroku, coming towards Kagome. "That was the best speech I've heard in years." He knelt, turning over Kagome's image in his mind, committing it to memory.

Kagome shrugged, not afraid of turning her back on Sesshoumaru. She looked at Miroku. "And who would you be?"

"A dark and mysterious stranger, who will come and sweep his true lover off her feet and -"

"Please, keep your hand away from my person," said Kagome icily. Miroku's hand had not escaped her notice – it had been creeping closer and closer as he spoke. "A pleasure to meet you, sir. I should go and prepare for my performance now."

Kagome bowed, and left the room. She couldn't stand another minute of the place – she needed to get out, and fast. Hopefully, the audience would be captivated by her dancing, and ask her for another. Then, in between her costume change she would slip out. Kagome had tucked several thin leaf-shaped sheets of gold in her kimono obi. They would make good bribes if she met any trouble on her way out.

Miroku went over to Inuyasha.

"I think I've found our girl," he announced triumphantly.

"How can you be sure? She's only the first woman we've met."

Miroku sighed. "True. At first, I thought Kikyo was the one; she looked vaguely similar to my sister. But then, Kagome appeared. Besides, from what I overheard between your brother and Kagome, it sounded like her father has died, and she was sold. That's the story of my sister."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. There were probably thousands of girls who had dead fathers and then got sold. "Can you be sure?"

"There's one way," laughed Miroku. "But having seen the display the lovely Kagome has put on tonight, I doubt we can accomplish that."

"Don't tell me," mumbled Inuyasha. "I don't want to know."

A mischievous grin appeared in Miroku's eye. "Oh, but I must tell you. You see, our clan has the traditional of tattooing its members with lucky characters or symbols. If the person has spiritual powers, the symbols will glow. If Kagome is my sister, she should have a character for 'love' that glows gold on her left shoulder, just above her heart."

"And I suppose you have one too," said Inuyasha sarcastically.

"Yes, actually. A character for 'intelligence' – it glows purple. I must say, I rather like the colour-"

He was interrupted by a gasp from the crowd. The dance performance was beginning.

Kagome stood in front of the audience on a slightly raised platform. Whatever the men had been expecting, it wasn't what they were met with.

As the music started, Kagome reached for her dancing fan, and flicked it open. Then, her face perfectly expressionless like all dancers, she reached towards her left hip, and unsheathed a gleaming silver sword.

End Chap 1